I have a new name for those people 60 and older: the Amazings. We’re busting preconceptions, forcing by our very numbers, the entire world to look at us differently. We’re redefining the years past 60 as years of expansion, joy, fun, experience, even love.
We’re Amazing.
We who are somewhere between 60 and death, are forcing the world to see us outside our wrinkles, thinning hair and buttocks cheeks. We run marathons, kill the golf course, tango on the dance-floor, hike the federal parks, and out-yoga a surprising number of Millennials. To wit, an extremely entertaining and somewhat shocking YouTube that’s a true “must-see,” entitled”Millennials Show the World What They Believe Old Looks Like.”
Judging from the movie, Millennials have a narrow view of what”older” really means. Apparently, Millennials haven’t heard of Harriet Thompson, age 92, a two time cancer survivor who made history in June of 2015 by becoming the oldest woman to ever complete a marathon (her 16th); 26 miles in 7 hours 24 minutes 36 seconds. Nor of George Blevins, a regular bowler for 93 years, who won his latest National Senior Games singles tournaments at age 100. Much less of Bill Griffiths, 90, and his sweetheart Flo Marshallsay, 96, whose marriage ceremony this year was reported as far away as Australia and Japan.
Millennials
Yet you would think Millennials could have known of Betty White, nevertheless entertaining us live with her charm and comedy at 94, and Dick Van Dyke who landed each 10 year old’s fantasy: a spectacular Disneyland Park celebration put on exclusively because of his 90th birthday this past year. What we Amazings want Millennials (and each generation) to understand, is that these individuals aren’t the exception. There are over 45 million people in the USA alone who are 65 and over (44.7 in 2013, according to the US Census).
Most of these people are happy, healthy, and having a grand old time. Almost 80 percent of them own their own houses, and entirely 72% voted in the last Presidential election. The great news is, everyone can become an Amazing. Starting at any age (the sooner the better), all it takes is a deliberate choice to find that the passing of years as simply motion through time. Nothing more. To receive your appreciation and gratitude in equipment, for that is what’s going to engender happiness and confidence. Which, put together, are what encourage a strong immune system, good cardiovascular health, and less probability of diabetes or depression-the underpinnings of pleasure and vitality at any age.
Conclusion
For people who are younger, get to know us. And if you are an Amazing, celebrate yourself. We’ve learned to love the smile of a friend, the flavor of a morning coffee, the glow of the rising sun. We who do not take any of it for granted, for whom life has become more valuable with each passing day. Precisely because we know that most of us have an expiration date, we dive into life with whatever remains available to us-be that of body, mind or spirit-despite whatever condition our different components are in.
